


Subtleties

by RobinPlaysTrumpet15



Series: Loki-centric Things [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Gen, Good Odin (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Odin (Marvel)'s Good Parenting, Suicide Attempt, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, those things only come up briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 05:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13024455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15
Summary: Loki tries to take over the earth, not to rule it, but to get his brother's attention.Avengers canon divergence!





	Subtleties

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was written mostly because I have a lot of feelings about Loki, and I personally wanted to write this so that Loki is recognized as hurting and needing help. That's pretty much all I've got here so... yeah.
> 
> Trigger warning for anyone who does not even want to hear about any form of suicide or sexual assault! If you want no part of these things, please don't read!
> 
> I hope you like this.

Thor wasn’t always good with subtleties. Sometimes he wasn’t all that aware of other people’s feelings, or what they were trying to say to him. That wasn’t an excuse, it was just the truth. Sometimes the only way to get him to understand something was to spell it out in clear, bold letters.

But there were other times where things just didn’t add up, and the subtleties would be clear as day to him.

Like right now.

Thor stood next to the table on the main bridge of the helicarrier, mostly listening to what was being said around him. Sure, it was important, but there was something nagging at him. Something that he had seen in Loki’s expression last night.

Loki could be… eccentric from time to time, but this was a little extreme. Had he done things in the past that could have gotten a lot of people killed, including Thor? Yes. But even though he hadn’t gone about it the correct way, the reasoning for it had been pretty solid. He’d stopped Thor coronation, which they’d all been angry about at first, but it was for the better. Thor had not been nearly ready to be king. That was made completely obvious.

And later, Loki had told him outright he hadn’t wanted the throne, hadn’t wanted to be king. He’d just wanted to be Thor’s equal.

So what was different now? Yes, it had been a year, where his whereabouts were unknown and he’d been believed to be dead, but what could have happened? Why was Loki so interested in being the ruler of something, specifically Midgard?

_“I remember a shadow. Living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I, who was, and should be, king!”_

And sure, Thor could see how growing up with an older brother like himself could grate on someone’s nerves. Loki was not, by any means, the prime example of what an Asgardian male should be. He was thinner than most with a narrow waist, and his shoulders were not as broad. His muscles were more lean, rather than providing the bulk that Thor’s did. Loki had been ridiculed behind his back, and even to his face, almost all his life.

_“I’ve seen power you’ve never known about! I have grown, Odinson, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it…”_

__

_“Who showed you this power? Who controls the would-be king?”_

__

__

__

_“I am a king!”_

__

Controls… There was something with that word that bothered Thor. Loki hadn’t denied it, had only jumped on Thor for not recognizing his “place” as king. There was something very wrong here. Loki’s subtleties had usually been very easy for Thor to pick up on. A thousand plus years of growing up together, living and fighting and laughing, Thor knew what to look for in his brother when there was something wrong.

__

And there was something wrong.

__

“Thor?” A voice broke through his thoughts. He looked up at the mortals around him.

__

“I am sorry,” Thor started. “What?”

__

“What’s his play?” The tall blonde man, Steve, asked. He was shorter than Thor, but not by much and still obviously tall for a human.

__

“He has an army called the Chitauri. They’re not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract,” Thor said. And something about that didn’t quite make sense either. Why Earth? Why this realm? Surely, there were other places, other planets, that Loki could have chosen that would keep him well out of Thor’s sights. Maybe his brother did want revenge on him and wished to claim the earth to get back at Thor, knowing he had vowed to protect it, but that didn’t add up either.

__

“An army from outer space,” Steve just about sighed.

__

“So he’s building another portal. That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for,” the brunette said. He seemed a quiet man. His name was… Banner?

__

But Thor recognized that name. “Selvig?”

__

“He’s an astrophysicist,” Banner supplied.

__

“He’s a friend,” Thor corrected.

__

The red haired woman spoke then, saying something about Loki having Erik under a spell.

__

So it wasn’t enough that Loki was trying to take over the earth, he had also recruited one of Thor’s own personal friends to help him do it. The spell made sense though. Erik wouldn’t have willingly helped Loki do this, so there had to be another factor.

__

“I don’t know why Loki let us take him. He’s not leading an army from here,” Steve said.

__

And… that was it, wasn’t it? Loki let himself be taken. He made a show of it, as if he had been defeated, but all in all, Loki had not truly tried to stop them from taking him. If he hadn’t wanted to be taken, he wouldn’t have been taken. Simple as that. You can’t very well make someone, who is essentially a god, do something they don’t want to do. Unless you are another almost god, of course.

__

Of course! Loki wanted this! He’d wanted to be captured, he’d wanted Thor to come and find him! He chose Earth for a reason, and this was it. He wanted Thor’s attention.

__

“I don’t think we should be focussing on Loki-”

__

“That is exactly what we should do,” Thor said, cutting Dr. Banner off.

__

Everyone hesitated for a second.

__

“What?” Steve asked.

__

“My brother does not do anything without a purpose. You are right, Captain, he cannot lead an army while he is imprisoned here. So he wants something.”

__

Thor turned and walked away, sure he could find his way to Loki’s glass cell himself. It wouldn’t take too long, and the corridors made sense. There were much harder twists and turns back home that he could navigate without problem.

__

He could hear the others asking what he meant, calling for him to come back and explain. But Thor didn’t listen. He had to get to Loki. Something was going to happen, and if they were going to stop it, his brother was the key.

__

After a moment, he found himself in the hold, staring at Loki through the glass.

__

“Loki,” Thor said.

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The black haired man turned and looked at Thor, a strange smiled appearing on his face.

__

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise-”

__

“Enough of your games.”

__

Loki’s smile faltered. “What?”

__

For only a split second, Thor waited. How should he go about this? He could demand Loki tell him his true purposes for coming here, attempting to claim the earth. But that would probably end with more games, more lies. Loki wouldn’t just give up whatever this was. Thor would have to fight for it that way. Or, he could pretend he knew what was going on. Claim that he understood what Loki was trying to gain from all of this. It was likely that Loki would see through him, call his bluff, but then again? If his brother was desperate enough to do this, then he might not think about it too hard, no matter how calculating Loki was on a regular basis.

__

And option number two just seemed like it held the best results.

__

“I know. I understand,” Thor started, trying to be as vague and believable as possible. “Brother, you have no more need of these tricks.”

__

Disbelief crossed Loki’s face for only an instant before it was replaced with something else. Something Thor couldn’t quite read.

__

“I hope you know what you are saying, dear brother,” Loki mocked.

__

“Loki, please!” Thor pleaded. “This is no longer necessary!”

__

Loki smirked, an almost cruel, playful smile growing over his features. “Isn’t it, though? Isn’t this the best way to get your attention? It always had been as children.”

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Thor didn’t know what to say. He stayed silent, hoping that his brother would continue.

__

“It was always more effective to be in trouble than to do something well.”

__

“Brother-”

__

“So what better way for you to notice, than to be in trouble again?” Loki demanded. He seemed to be losing his composure rather fast. It was unnerving if Thor was honest. Loki was regularly in control of his emotions and his actions. He didn’t do anything he didn’t mean to do, and he showed almost nothing of what he may truly feel. So here, seeing him this undone, this wound up, Thor could tell this was the truth.

__

And the truth… it was something scary.

__

“Loki, brother, I beg of you to-”

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“You are the only one that I know of to be able to help me.”

__

The world seemed to stop. The machinery around him went silent, their own breaths made no noise despite how hard Loki’s seemed to be coming to him. Thor couldn’t hear any other voices within the helicarrier. He was sure that almost everyone who could be watching this was doing so.

__

But now it was time for Thor to drop the act. Because an admission like that… it required truth.

__

“Help you with what?” Thor asked cautiously. He desperately hoped this wasn’t one of Loki’s tricks. The blonde prince stepped closer to the glass wall of Loki’s cage.

__

Loki’s eyes widened. Thor’s heart broke a little when he noticed how wet Loki’s green eyes had grown. They shined, the whites of his eyes tingeing redder than they already had been. And suddenly a mildly impressed look settled over his face.

__

“You lied to me… successfully…”

__

Thor hoped this wasn’t the end of this, that he could still save this conversation, get Loki keep opening up. “Loki-”

__

“You-” Loki paused. “You got me to… to believe that you have… that you had figured out all of this!” The impressed expression remained steady on his face, though Thor watched, nearly in horror, as his eyes began to water more.

__

“Loki-”

__

The green eyed man shook his head, backing to the furthest side of his cell, hitting the glass and sliding down to the floor.

__

What else could he say? He had to convince Loki to finish, to confide in him whatever was hurting. But he couldn’t do that so far away from his brother…

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“Fury!” Thor called at the ceiling, hoping the angry man with the eyepatch would hear him. “Allow me into the cage!”

__

Fury’s voice came on over the intercom. “I can’t do that-”

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“Do it, or I will smash into it!” Thor said, holding up his fist but not yet calling for Mjolnir.

__

He didn’t necessarily enjoy threats to get his way, but then again, this was his brother. He’d all but kill for him, and even then, if the circumstances required it…

__

He heard no answer come, though he waited. And after a few minutes, Fury appeared in the room, heading for the console. Thor watched him with hard eyes, ensuring that he didn’t hit the large red button that would release the cage from the helicarrier and drop Loki to the earth.

__

But then a panel of glass slide open with a hiss, and Thor stepped inside, listening as the glass closed behind him. Sure, they were both trapped in here now. But worse comes to worst, Thor would call Mjolnir to him and she would smash the glass, allowing him and Loki to escape.

__

But that wasn’t Thor’s concern at the moment, nor was whatever Fury had just said to him.

__

Thor only had eyes for his brother.

__

“Loki, talk to me,” Thor offered gently, taking slow, non threatening steps towards the other side of the small space. And within the past few minutes, Loki had gone from looking impressed at Thor’s lie, to scared stiff, pressing his back firmly to the glass behind him.

__

Thor knelt slowly to the floor in front of Loki, keeping constant eye contact with him as he did so. He did his best to seem as small as he could, letting himself be vulnerable to Loki.

__

“Please, brother,” Thor whispered gently. “Whatever has caused you harm, whatever you wanted to gain from causing this much damage and chaos, you need not handle it alone. I am with you, as I always have been.” Thor reached his hand out, palm up. He dared not touch Loki without his permission, knowing that his younger brother liked his space, preferred that others kept their distance.

__

Loki just looked from Thor’s hands to his eyes, studying the blue that seemed to shine, elluded to how they seemed to nearly glow in the dark. But he didn’t take his hand yet.

__

“Loki, I love you more dearly than anything else. Let me help you.”

__

Thor had to contain his shock, had to temper the emotions that showed on his face, when his brother’s tears finally fell. The beads of salt water dripped down his cheeks to drop off his chin and land on the leather of his armor. Even Loki seemed surprised.

__

“What happened?” Thor asked, offering his hand further, hoping that his brother would take it.

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Loki’s eyes went downcast, studying Thor’s hand for a long time before he reached up hesitantly to settle his palm against Thor’s. Thor smiled warmly at him, knowing that he looked a little sad and shaken.

__

“I let go because I thought I would die. Everything had gone so far so fast, and I hadn’t meant for it to happen that way. I didn’t think you would be banished, I didn’t think about what would happen when Father fell into the odinsleep…” Loki muttered, no longer making eye contact with his brother, not bothering to lift his gaze at all.

__

“Loki,” Thor breathed. It took him off guard that Loki had counted on dying. It was one thing to watch his brother let go and fly away into a black hole, but it was another thing to know that there hadn’t been a plan beyond the possibility of death.

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“I was trapped for awhile in the void. It was dark, and even if it hadn’t been, there was nothing to see. But… they found me…” Loki choked a little on his own voice, his head bowing further towards his chest, hand gripping Thor’s now like his life depended on it. “They eventually began to… trust me. They wanted the Tesseract… I knew it was here, on Earth. So I had a plan…”

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Thor’s eyebrows pinched together, furrowing. “Which was?”

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The laugh that escaped Loki was bitter and tight. “I knew that if I attacked this place, you would come. You would find me…”

__

A hiccupped breath came next, and Thor could hear how it was straining his brother to stop from outright sobbing. It would be unbecoming of a prince of Asgard. Loki had been nothing if not the perfect prince to the outside world. Always calm, always level headed. Good at politics. Even now, Loki couldn’t shake it, the training of his youth, being the perfect little brother, confined within a set of walls by the eyes of his people, his brother.

__

“All I could hope for-” Loki tried to speak again, his throat fighting him on the matter. “I could only hope that you saw through me…”

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The strangled laugh startled Thor for only a brief second. “You are certainly lucky, brother. I am not good with subtleties, and you know this.”

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Loki nodded, finally glancing up at Thor with a strange, sad smile on his mouth, his eyebrows knitted together with a hard crease between them. “I- I thought for sure you- you wouldn’t get it… But even a life in prison on Asgard is better than with them…”

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Thor nodded. He lifted his other hand, the one not currently gripped in Loki’s, to settle against the back of Loki’s neck. He pulled their foreheads together, catching Loki’s eyes again, tears still falling from them.

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“Brother, I wish that we could ignore everything going on. I wish I could take you home now and keep you safe there, but we still need to fix relations here. What was the plan after this?”

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Loki jerked away from Thor, eyes wild as they scanned the area outside the glass.

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“They will come for me. They have the Tesseract,” Loki said, released Thor’s hand and sliding away to push himself up to his feet. Thor followed his lead.

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“Can you stop them?” Thor asked.

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Loki turned to him, a look that Thor could only describe as horror in his eyes. “I could, yes…”

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There was something more to that, he was sure.

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“But?” Thor prompted.

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“But they’ll know…” Loki muttered. “They will know I betrayed them. The end result will probably not end well for anyone.”

__

Thor could admire the way Loki’s voice stayed completely calm when the expression he was making just screamed fear.

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Thor stepped into his brother’s personal space again, laying his hands gently on Loki’s biceps. “Yes, brother, but we have to get through this with as few casualties as possible. There have already been too many.”

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Loki flinched at his words, but Thor held him steady. The black haired man nodded.

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“You will have to call them off, when they get here,” Thor instructed. “Set them free of your spell.”

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Loki shook his head, his features shifting until they showed despair. “I can’t,” Loki muttered desperately. “I can’t from here. Not without the scepter.”

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Thor’s eyebrows pulled low over his eyes. Was this a trick? A completely formed, elaborate trick that would get them all killed so Loki could free himself and still take over the earth?

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Suddenly Thor felt guilty. He knew his brother. He could usually tell when he was lying now. He was not lying anymore. This was the truth. Completely and utterly real.

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“I’m sorry,” another voice cut in. “But you are not getting control of that scepter again.”

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Thor turned to see Fury still standing outside the cage.

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“Listen to me,” Thor started, walking towards the glass again, aiming for the portion that would open.

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“No,” Fury cut him off. “You listen to me. I will not endanger everyone on this ship at the word of some lunatic who has already cost me too many good people. He will not cost me any more.”

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Suddenly an explosion rocked the helicarrier. The force of it threw Loki and Thor to the steel floor of the cage. Fury grabbed hard onto the metal railing, steadying himself.

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“They’re already here!” Loki yelled, getting up on one knee cautiously.

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“Fury!” Thor roared. “Let us out!”

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Fury turned his eye on them, his expression no different than it had been before, but his tone much harsher. “I will not lose anyone else.” Then he left the chamber as quickly as he could.

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Thor frowned. Only one other option. 

__

“Loki, come here.” It wasn’t a request, nor was it meant to sound like one.

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Without a word, Thor felt his brother’s presence by his side. He slid his left arm over Loki’s waist, holding him flush to himself as he stuck his hand out. He wasn’t sure it was the direction in which he’d left Mjolnir, but she’d come to him either way.

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“Brother,” Loki whispered. “If Mjolnir breaks the glass, we will fall.”

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“That is why as soon as she does, we are jumping from this thing.”

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A second later, the hammer broke through the wall and then again through the glass, landing in Thor’s outstretched palm as she always did. Thor felt the release of whatever mechanisms were holding the cell in place as he pushed off hard from the floor. Loki’s arms flew around his neck instantly, his face hidden in Thor’s shoulder as they lept through the broken glass. Thor felt edges of the glass clip his arm and shoulder, but he thought nothing of it for the moment. Some small scrapes were not what was important right now.

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They landed hard on the metal walkway, shards of glass coming with them. Vaguely, Thor registered a gasp and a pained groan from Loki as they landed, but he wasn’t thinking clearly. He couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.

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He let go of his brother, pulling himself shakily to his feet.

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“Come, brother. You must stop this attack.”

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*

__

Ten minutes. That’s all it took. Ten minutes and the attack on the helicarrier was stopped, all the agents and people Loki had brainwashed with his spell set free, with the exception of a few who hadn’t been on the “rescue mission”.

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The scepter was taken back, which was to be expected, and Loki was handcuffed to the table, sitting in a chair with Thor standing at his back. The others didn’t particularly trust him, but they were willing to hear what it was that he had told Thor.

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They listened as other agents and engineers ran around, attempting to fix the engine that had gone down in the attack.

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“So that’s it, is it?” the redheaded woman asked, her arms crossed over her chest. Loki nodded mutely, eyes cast down at the table.

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“How do we know he’s not lying?” Stark asked.

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“Yeah, no offense, but this has all been a little hard to believe,” Banner said, seeming highly unsure. “No offense, Thor, but this guy… you can almost smell crazy on him.”

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Thor bristled. “Offense taken. His actions were born of desperation. He is my brother, and I will defend his word.”

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“He killed eighty people in two days,” Natasha deadpanned.

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“Yes, he has, and he will answer for that,” Thor said, continuing on quickly. “But there was very little else to be done.”

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Steve shifted in his chair. “He’s right. Loki may have acted alone, but he was more or less a prisoner. Prisoners of war aren’t found guilty for the crimes they commit while captive.”

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Everyone’s eyes turned to Steve.

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“I don’t think we should treat Loki any differently, despite all this.”

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Still no one else said anything, just stared at the man.

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“What?” Steve said, leaning back in his chair. “If there’s anything I understand, it’s how war works.”

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Fury hesitated a second before raising his hands and gesturing for that line of conversation to come to a close. “Fine. We will talk more about this later. But for now, what still needs to be done?”

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Thor took a deep breath before speaking. “Loki said Erik Selvig is in New York. He is continuing work on the portal as we speak. He will not be able to open it without the Tesseract, but he is still under Loki’s spell.”

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“Why hasn’t he released him, yet?” Agent Hill asked.

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“He can’t,” Thor supplied, feeling his brother’s patience wear thin. “Selvig is too far away for Loki to do anything to the spell he is under.”

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“Fine,” Fury said. “He’ll be taken to New York and release Dr. Selvig. Then he will answer for his crimes.”

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Thor spoke up quickly. “Make no mistake,” he started. “He will be coming back to Asgard with me. The good captain here is right. Loki could not have acted differently without risking himself harm. If you can tell us the names of those who died, weregild will be paid to their families.”

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“Weregild?” Barton asked. He’d come out of Loki’s spell irritable, but still himself.

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“Is this not a common practice in your culture?” Thor asked. “It is a value placed on every life and piece of property. It is paid as recompense to the family of a soldier or guard who died in battle. This is very common on Asgard.”

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There were looks of understanding around him and a few nods of acknowledgement.

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“I don’t believe so,” Banner said. “But I don’t think it’d be turned down.”

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“So be it,” Thor replied.

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*

__

They stayed on Midgard for a few days, helping to right everything that had gone wrong. Loki was able to pay the weregild to the families of the dead due to an extra dimensional pocket that he’d filled with his valuables and belongings long ago. Thor thought it was rather odd, as if Loki had expected something like this to happen in the future, but he tried not to think anything of it. Loki had long done things that didn’t quite make sense to Thor or anyone else, and this was one of the more tame ones, so he decided it was fine to go unquestioned.

__

When they did finally leave, the Tesseract was used as their way home, the Bifrost still unrepaired (see: not yet rebuilt). He was sure that Heimdal had at least informed their parents about the goings on down here so that their arrival would be expected.

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What Thor did not expect was a company of guards.

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“What is the meaning of this?” Thor demanded as two of them attempted to approach and take Loki. Thor stepped in front of his brother, preventing them from coming closer.

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“Prince Loki is to be put under arrest and brought before the Allfather for sentencing,” a guard provided uneasily.

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“You will not be putting my brother under arrest.”

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“We are under orders, my prince-”

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“I do not care,” Thor said loudly. “You will not arrest him like some common criminal. The details of what has passed are foggy at best here on Asgard. No one has heard the true tail. So until that happens, no one will be putting a hand on Loki.”

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The group of guards hesitated before nodding, parting to let Thor through, Loki following close to his side.

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Thor reached and gripped Loki’s fingers briefly. “Do not worry, brother,” Thor whispered so only Loki could hear him. “We will handle this. Together.”

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The guards followed dutifully in two straight lines behind them as they made their way towards the heart of Asgard.

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When finally they arrived, walking confidently through the throne room up to the dais where their parents sat, Loki grabbed onto Thor’s hand again. This time, Thor did not let it go. He simply held on tighter, a reassuring pressure for his brother to focus on.

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“Thor-” Odin began.

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“Father, I mean no disrespect, but I do not believe that arresting Loki is the right course of action,” Thor said.

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Odin raised an eyebrow at his son. “You disobeyed my orders.”

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“Yes, because the full story has not yet come to light,” Thor said quickly. He knew that his father could be unreasonable at times, especially with Loki, and he wanted to delay any bad reaction until Loki got a chance to argue his side.

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“Oh?” Odin asked. Thor’s singular nod was the only response. “Guards, leave us. I will hear what my son has to say to me.”

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Thor could feel a weight drop straight out of his chest. Thanks the Norns, Odin could be reasoned with.

__

“Well?” Odin prompted, his eye trained on Loki.

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Thor let go of Loki’s hand and stepped back a pace to let Loki take the lead. So Loki told Odin everything that he’d told Thor, stopping short in a couple places, but nonetheless, giving the truth. It took some time as Loki tried to keep himself completely under control this time aorund, seeming to succeed for the most part.

__

When he was finally done, Odin didn’t say anything. He let the silence hang in the air for a beat of time that could have been a second or possibly a year.

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“Oh my son,” Odin said, his voice sad. He stood from his throne and approached the two brothers down the steps. He stopped in front of Loki, settling his hands on the black haired man’s shoulders. “You have suffered much.”

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Loki didn’t respond, just watched Odin carefully.

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“Loki, I do not believe it matters who your birth parents are. We have raised you as our son, and we have loved you as our son as well. Nothing will change that,” Odin assured, smiling at him.

__

Thor smiled as their father pulled Loki into a hug. When they parted, Frigga was there to embrace him as well.

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“My darling boy,” she said, petting at his black hair, holding Loki close.

__

*

__

It was agreed that there would be an announcement to clear Loki’s name and explain most of what had happened. Certain details would be omitted of course, for the sake of Loki’s privacy, but all would be right again. There would be a feast too in a couple days to celebrate his homecoming.

__

That night, Thor didn’t let Loki go back to his own rooms. Thor grabbed Loki’s hand and pulled him along to his chambers, meaning to keep his brother close for awhile. He knew there was more that Loki had not shared, and while he was not sure he should press the issue, he could tell it was something rather important.

__

They changed into softer, looser clothing that would be better to relax in before sitting side by side on the couch together in the antechamber of Thor’s bedroom. Neither one talked for a long time, watching the flames flicker in the fireplace. Once the sun began to go down, servants arrived to lay out food for the princes to eat before excusing themselves quickly.

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Then they ate in silence.

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And eventually, Thor couldn’t stand it anymore.

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“Loki… I get the feeling that there is something you have not told us,” Thor offered quietly.

__

Loki set his fork down on the edge of his plate before settling it on the low table in front of them.

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“Thor,” Loki began. “I do not wish to talk about it.”

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Thor followed his brother’s example and pushed his plate away.

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“You are hurting, brother,” he acknowledged. “What else did they do to you?”

__

Loki shook his head silently, curling in on himself. He wrapped his arms around his knees when he brought his feet up to rest on the edge of the sofa.

__

“Thor, leave it alone, please.”

__

“You will continue to be in pain-”

__

“You do not wish to know-”

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“I wish to protect you!”

__

Loki didn’t argue this point. He turned his eyes to his brother, and Thor was loathe to see the whites of them turning pink again. He had seen his brother cry plenty when they were children, but once they had been older, Loki had shown no such inclination. And now for him to have been brought to tears twice within the course of a few days… Well, Thor could only imagine what kind of pain caused this.

__

Loki sighed angrily, swiping furiously at his dry cheeks, as if this would stay off any tears that may come.

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“They didn’t just… imprison me…” Loki muttered, the words almost unintelligible.

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“What do you-”

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“They…” Loki started, but seemed to lose his nerve. “They… did things…”

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Thor was lost. What kind of things? He shook his head at his brother, conveying his confusion.

__

“Thor, how daft can you be?” Loki groaned out, frustrated. Thor knew he would have taken offense to this under any other circumstances.

__

“I’m sorry, brother,” Thor apologized.

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Loki squeezed his eyes shut and bared his teeth in an almost growl.

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“They… They took advantage of me!” Loki yelled.

__

Thor’s heart stopped.

__

Oh no…

__

Loki had been raped.

__

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought. If you caught any grammar mistakes, please point them out so that I can correct them. Thanks!


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